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 Post subject: Tower lights
PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 5:41 pm 
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Team Axis

Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2016 2:35 pm
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Thinking about adding tower lights. Any thoughts on what to install? Factory or aftermarket? Are they difficult to install? Do they help to see when coming off the lake late or a waste of time only using them a couple times a season?




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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 6:51 pm 
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Lights while underway don't do anything, they are worthless for that. Think of them more as docking lights; they can help you see the dock, once you're really close to it. Not really needed for loading onto a trailer because it's usually lit up by tail lights (vehicle and trailer itself). I had them on my last boat and never used them.


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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 7:06 pm 
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Thanks for that. What did you use while you where actually on the water getting back to the dock? Just a plug in spot light?


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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 8:27 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 23, 2011 11:02 am
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Location: Copperas Cove, TX
Factory dock lights are awesome in my opinion. Easily lights up shoreline at the boatramp 150-200ft away. I use mine every time I'm out past sunset...everytime. They do nothing for lighting the water like a headlight lights the road. They do light up anything on top of the water great. Reflective buoys or anything reflective lights up easily a couple hundred yards away. Downside is they are crazy blinding if someone is directly in front of you. I also keep a 12v small Stanley spotlight on my boat but I've never had to use it.

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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:38 pm 
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
AJWest wrote:
Factory dock lights are awesome in my opinion. Easily lights up shoreline at the boatramp 150-200ft away. I use mine every time I'm out past sunset...everytime. They do nothing for lighting the water like a headlight lights the road. They do light up anything on top of the water great. Reflective buoys or anything reflective lights up easily a couple hundred yards away. Downside is they are crazy blinding if someone is directly in front of you. I also keep a 12v small Stanley spotlight on my boat but I've never had to use it.


That's probably more of what I am looking for. Do you have any idea of how hard they would be to install, since I made the mistake of not ordering them on the build?


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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 1:13 am 
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Joined: Mon May 23, 2011 11:02 am
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Location: Copperas Cove, TX
JohnnyK wrote:
AJWest wrote:
Factory dock lights are awesome in my opinion. Easily lights up shoreline at the boatramp 150-200ft away. I use mine every time I'm out past sunset...everytime. They do nothing for lighting the water like a headlight lights the road. They do light up anything on top of the water great. Reflective buoys or anything reflective lights up easily a couple hundred yards away. Downside is they are crazy blinding if someone is directly in front of you. I also keep a 12v small Stanley spotlight on my boat but I've never had to use it.


That's probably more of what I am looking for. Do you have any idea of how hard they would be to install, since I made the mistake of not ordering them on the build?


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Axis uses one wiring harness so the plugs are already in your boat. Just gotta get the nuts to drill your hull. Not sure if you have the toggle switch already on your dash but it could already be there.

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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:58 am 
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Yeah drilling threw a perfectly good hull is not something a dream about. I have the switch and has power to it already. So I assume it would just hooking up the wire harness? Recommendation on drilling outside in or inside out?


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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:43 pm 
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Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2010 5:21 pm
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Location: Vancouver
You might do a small pilot from the inside if you're concerned with positioning, otherwise you'll want to go from the outside with the drill in reverse until you're through the gel coat. Some will cover the gel coat with a painters tape and you'll want to deburr the hole to reduce the risk of cracks and seal the fiberglass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8oprSN59A8

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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 4:11 pm 
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Drill in reverse through the gelcoat then once it's to fiberglass you can drill normal rotation

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 Post subject: Re: Tower lights
PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 8:38 pm 
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I did lights on my tower to the rear for evening wake surfing and swimming. They're great.Image


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